Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy Policy

lord henley: My hon friend Richard Harrington, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Minister for Business and Industry has made the following written ministerial statement:I hereby give notice of the Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy’s intention to seek an advance from the Contingencies Fund in the amount of £4,626,000 for FY 2018/19 to provide financial cover to the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR).This cash advance is sought to enable the ONR to undertake project activities planned for FY 2018/19 (i.e. from April 2018 onwards) to ensure the UK can have a domestic nuclear safeguards regime that meets international nuclear safeguards standards in place from day one of exit.ONR has already made progress towards delivering this regime with financial support provided from the previous Contingencies Fund advance, notice of which was given on 02 February, and which covered the period up to the end of March 2018.The Government’s commitment to establish a new domestic safeguards regime was announced on 14th September 2017 and forms a vital part of this Department’s EU Exit preparations for the UK’s nuclear industry.Parliamentary approval for additional resources of £4,626,000 for this new service will be sought in a Supplementary Estimate for the Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. Pending that approval, urgent expenditure estimated at £4,626,000 will be met via repayable cash advances from the Contingencies Fund.The cash advance will be repaid upon receiving Royal Assent on the Nuclear Safeguards Bill and the Supply and Appropriation Bill. 


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Leader of the House of Lords

Machinery of Government Changes

baroness evans of bowes park: An administrative error has been identified in the Written Ministerial Statement made by the Leader of the House of Lords on 29th March, where the last paragraph was omitted. Please find the appropriate correction. My Rt Hon. Friend the Prime Minister has made the following statement to the House of Commons: This written statement confirms that the data policy and governance functions of the Government Digital Service (GDS) will transfer from the Cabinet Office to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The transfer includes responsibility for data sharing (including coordination of Part 5 of the Digital Economy Act 2017), data ethics, open data and data governance. At the same time policy responsibility for digital signatures will move from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) to DCMS, which will also jointly lead with BEIS on the relationship with the Open Data Institute, Digital Catapult and The Alan Turing Institute. These changes will be effective from 1 April. The expanded Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport brings together in one place data policy for both government and the wider economy. This will support work, led by DCMS, to ensure the UK is fully realising the benefits of the data economy for all. GDS will continue its work supporting the ongoing digital transformation of government, building digital capability in the Civil Service and championing service design across government to meet user needs. Further to the Budget announcement last Autumn, strategic geospatial data policy initiatives from BEIS and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are being consolidated into the Cabinet Office from 1 April to support the work of the Geospatial Commission.

Ministry of Defence

Mechanised Infantry Vehicle

earl howe: My hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Procurement (Mr Guto Bebb) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. I am pleased to inform the House that on 31 March the British Army took a major step forward in securing a potential deal to get a fleet of new armoured vehicles by re-joining the Boxer programme, which could support at least 1,000 British jobs. The UK will re-join the programme and explore options to equip the Army with the state-of-the-art 8x8 troop carriers (Mechanised Infantry Vehicles) to modernise its vehicle fleet. The UK played a major role in the design, development and testing of Boxer, and would reassume the rights it had as an original project partner, thus allowing the option for the vehicle to be built and exported from the UK. The intention would be for at least 60% of the manufacturing to be within British industry, sustaining and developing UK industrial capabilities, facilities and skills. A capable Mechanised Infantry Vehicle is integral to the Army’s new Strike brigades. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) conducted a comprehensive market analysis of Mechanised Infantry Vehicles in-service, entering service and in development. The analysis was guided by the British Army’s requirements and how best to deliver them. The Boxer is the stand-out performer across a wide range of requirements including protected mobility, capacity, flexibility, utility and agility, and is a worthy choice for the British Army, who deserve the very best equipment. With the ability to rapidly adapt to suit our soldiers’ needs and perform across multiple climates and terrains, the Boxer would provide the British Army with a credible medium capability, enabling Commanders to provide an appropriate level of response to emerging threats. The MOD is now taking forward negotiations with the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) and Artec to look at options to purchase the vehicles. Any deal will be subject to commercial negotiation and assessment in 2019 and the aim is to have the first vehicles in service with the Army in 2023.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Building Safety Update

lord bourne of aberystwyth: My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Sajid Javid) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement.In my update on building safety on 15th March 2018, I informed the House that a glazed fire door from Grenfell Tower manufactured by Manse Masterdor, around five years ago, and marketed to resist fire for at least 30 minutes failed testing after approximately 15 minutes.The Government immediately sought advice from the independent Expert Panel on the test findings to see whether any action was required as a result. The Panel consulted representatives from the Metropolitan Police, the Government’s Chief Scientific Advisers and the National Fire Chiefs’ Council. Following that, the Expert Panel advised that there was no change to the fire safety advice that the public should follow, and further investigations into doors from Manse Masterdor and others should be undertaken.As I outlined in the statement on 15th March, we have taken forward further investigations. These investigations are focusing on fire doors manufactured by Manse Masterdor, this company is no longer trading and is not associated with organisations of a similar name.We are engaging with the industry, and have also established a Technical Group of experts who are able to provide us with specialist advice on fire doors.We have secured capacity to test fire doors at accredited test houses and testing is ongoing.We are working closely with Devolved Administrations and are engaging with local authorities who are supporting us in our investigation.We continue to consult the Expert Panel as these investigations progress. I committed to updating the House before the end of April and can confirm that at the present time, the Expert Panel’s advice remains unchanged.As a result of my department’s investigations to date, the Expert Panel has advised me that further testing is required, which will take time. I intend to update the House further as and when the Expert Panel provides further advice, or no later than the end of May.I want to reassure Honorable Members that my department is doing all it can as quickly as possible to properly investigate these issues and to make sure that where needed appropriate action will be taken.As part of our wider effort to ensure that people are safe now and in the future I commissioned an independent review, led by Dame Judith Hackitt to look at the regulatory framework around construction, maintenance and on-going management of buildings in relation to fire safety. The Government welcomed an interim report, published in December 2017, and has already taken action to implement some of its recommendations, including by recently publishing a consultation on the use of desktop studies to assess the fire performance of construction products. A final report is expected in the late spring and the Government stands ready to consider and respond to this report. Public safety is paramount and I will continue to keep the House updated on progress. 


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